One Last Chance
by byad
Summary: Daryl and Beth start to bond as they make their way together. It will be a tough journey of acceptance, hope and romance in the post-apocalyptic world.
1. Rise and Shine

******Disclaimer**: I do not own 'The Walking Dead'.

**Author notes: **Hello there! This is the first fanfiction I write in 8 years! I'm just starting to get used to it. Also, pardon me if something is not right, or hard to understand, as english isn't my mother language. I tried my best though! Your reviews and suggestions will be well accepted.  
~Hopes high for the last three episodes of this season. Go Bethyl ~

**Chapter 1**: Rise and Shine

In the midst of a dense forest, Daryl and Beth trace a new path, as far away as possible from the last horde of walkers they found, as well as escaping the cold. A few days ago they started to feel that the wind was getting slightly colder, and it'd soon begin to snow. There won't be much time left until they freeze to death if they don't find a place to hide this week. After a three or four hour's walk, they find a vast green meadow. Taken by a gray sky and a freezing sunset, they're forced to take a break, rest and lid a bonfire. They look for a big tree, some branches for the bonfire, and get comfortable right there, aware that there's no sign at all of any living - or dead - for at least a raid of two kilometers. Beth starts the fire while Daryl counts what's left of the supplies.  
"Daryl, can you get me my backpack?" says Beth, that protects herself from the cold warming up her hands on the recently lid bonfire.  
"Sure." Daryl stretches himself and grabs her backpack behind him. "Here ya go."  
"Thanks." Beth opens up her backpack and takes a pair of old gloves.  
"Where d'ya find that?" Daryl asks, whilst storing in an old backpack some canned goods and three well-filled water bottles.  
"Around." Beth closes her backpack, and puts it beside her. She puts on the gloves very delicately, shivering from the cold breeze. She gets closer to the bonfire.  
"Ya hungry?"  
"No." Beth answers, with a plain smile. "I'm fine."  
Daryl breathes in deeply, and then whiffs on his hands, to warm them up a little more. Beth observes him for an instant. When Daryl notices her observing him, he puts his hands down. Beth rapidly looks away.  
"Tomorrow we find a good place to stay." Beth says in her always optimistic tone.  
Daryl remains quiet. Neither were the talking types. Something that never bothered anyone. But lately, so many horrible thoughts are passing through their minds, that talking is a great relief.  
"The winter has barely started and I already can't wait for it to end." Beth's words sound discouraged.  
"I don't think it'll be that bad." Daryl says with a small smile.  
Beth smiles back. But in her great blue eyes Daryl knows her thoughts are sad. Hershel's death is still too recent, and the loss of the group after escaping the prison made all hope left go to pieces. Not only for Beth, for Daryl too. Not knowing where the others are, if they're still alive. Makes any gray and cold day even grayer.  
She continues to rub her hands close to the fire.  
"Beth."  
"What?" Beth answers in a jump.  
"Come 'ere." Beth immediately pops her eyes and flushes.  
"It's too damn cold for ya to stay that far. Come 'ere." He taps the grass to his right three times.  
Beth stands up, goes to Daryl and sits by his side. He pulls her closer with his right arm, in a way their bodies touch each other. Beth keeps her timid eyes down. Both of them stay like that for a few minutes, until they stop shivering.  
"Better now?" Daryl looks up on her, with his eyebrows raised.  
"Yeah." Beth smiles, still looking down.  
They remain side by side, facing the fire for one more hour. Daryl is still holding her with his right arm, a situation that leaves Beth a bit uncomfortable. Even though she knows if it wasn't for Daryl's gesture, they wouldn't be able to stand the cold, this type of contact was never common between them.  
A few more minutes pass, she starts to get sleepy and yawns.  
"Time to rest for good?"  
"Guess so."  
"C'mon, I make the bed." Daryl stands up and goes to where the backpacks are.  
"Bed? Are we that fancy yet?" Beth says with a shy smile. Daryl just nods in agreement.  
Inside a dark-green backpack, he takes some threadbare blankets they found in the latest hunts, and overlays them one by one, until he thinks it's soft enough (it's never soft enough).  
"There ya go. Come."  
"I hope it's _really_ comfortable, I have high standards, you know." Beth jokes. The tense atmosphere from these past days, somehow, softens. Beth is trying hard to stay away from all the mess in her mind, and just enjoy the moment.  
"I've done my best, ma'am." Daryl answers with a shrug of the shoulders.  
Beth lies down, yawns once more, and lets out a little sigh. "Thanks."  
Daryl just looks at her, and then goes to his spot, on the other side of the fire, where he'll spent the rest of the night aware of intruders. He shrinks inside his jacket, throws a blanket over his shoulders, arms his crossbow and in that way he stays, for the next hours of darkness.  
Beth glances at Daryl one last time before sleeping, sees him with the blanket, the crossbow, prepared for any kind of danger.  
She feels safe.

When the day is about to dawn, Beth wakes up. With her left hand she rubs her eyes. Daryl is still in the same position. She sits and stretches her arms high, stretching out her muscles, preparing for a whole new day.  
"Lots of movement during the night?"  
Daryl rapidly looks behind, and then straight again.  
"Nah, nothing went through here. Living or dead. We lucky."  
"So you could have slept too."  
"Ya never know." He looks behind again, and Beth nods in agreement.  
"You want to rest a bit now? I'll stay in your place."  
Daryl thinks for a second. He stares at the horizon, calm and serene. As if the world was still the same as before. Now the sun is already starting to show.  
"Ya sure?... I don't know about that."  
"Hey, I've gotten pretty good with the crossbow. You _have _to admit it." Beth stares at him with defying eyes.  
"Mmm."  
"Don't 'Mmm' me!" Beth smiles. "You need to rest Daryl."  
"Yeah. Okay. A lil' bit. Wake me up in an hour or two."  
"No problem."  
Beth stands up and goes to Daryl, takes his crossbow and sits on his place. Daryl lies on those old blankets, still warm from Beth's body, and remains awake for a few minutes, looking at the sky. The sun appears shy, but already emanating heat, just a little, but enough to make the weather, at least, more pleasant. He turns himself in Beth's direction, crossing his look through the bonfire, which is just about to go out, and now all he sees is the meadow, the calm horizon and that girl. The girl with long blonde hair shining at the birth of the first rays of light. The girl who holds the crossbow, that tries her best to be strong, and to show she's not so much of a girl anymore. Daryl now sees a woman.

He closes his eyes, and falls asleep.


	2. Days to Come

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Author notes: **I may publish the chapters with a two or three days gap, because I've been very busy organizing a wedding, and I'm also re watching lots of episodes so I can portray the characters' personalities better. But don't worry, I'll keep them comin'!

**Chapter 2**: Days to Come

Beth is concentrating on her breath. Concentrating on what might come up. She looks around.

'_So quiet.'_ She thinks to herself. '_Too good to be true_'.

She closes her eyes, breathes in deep and feels the breeze gently caressing her cheeks, going through her hair and kindly tickling her skin. The moment felt so good she almost forgot about everything. All the problems, the worries, the pang in her heart. For a brief moment, it's all gone. It's only the breeze, and…  
Beth opens her eyes quickly after hearing a strange noise.

'_Whatever it is, I can handle it._' She takes the crossbow, and looks around again. She looks at Daryl. Still asleep.

'_No. I don't need him. I'm fine._' Her heart starts pounding a little faster when she finally catches sight of a couple of walkers coming from their left.  
She positions the crossbow and begins to aim at one of them, but soon realizes it's still too far away to shoot.

'_I'll never get it this far_'. She waits until they get closer, and starts aiming again. Her hands are shaky and her breath is out of control.

'Why so nervous, Beth?' She says to herself. Even though deep inside she knows. She doesn't want to disappoint Daryl by missing a shot. She breathes out one more time, and shoots.

The arrow barely hits its neck, and they keep getting closer. She looks at Daryl again.

_'I can do this.'_ She thinks as she arms the crossbow once more, and tries another shot.

Right on the head.

"Yay!" shouts Beth with enthusiasm. Daryl wakes up in a jump. She looks at him.

"Rise and shine." She says with a grin.

"What's all this yelling 'bout?"

"Well, take a look." She tilts her head on their direction. Daryl sees the walker coming.

"What, ya happy to see him?"

"No. On the ground. I did it." Daryl sees the dead walker afar.

"Mmm." Beth gives him a little slap on the chest.

"And the other one we'll invite for breakfast?" He says as he takes the crossbow from her hands and quickly shoots it in the head. "Yay." He says, unenthusiastic.

Beth looks at him with disappointment written all over her face.

"What?" He says to her, as she continues to stare at him.

"Nothing." She lowers her head, gets up and goes to where the blankets are. He follows her with his eyes.

"The yelling. Don't do that again."

"Sorry." She started folding the blankets and putting them back in the bag. Daryl goes to the walkers to get the arrows.  
After finishing with the blankets, she puts her backpack on and sits there, waiting for Daryl.

"Let's get our shit and go." He says as he gets back.

Beth stands up and they leave.

The sun is now bright enough to hurt their eyes, but the weather is still chilly. They go on for two hours without saying a word.

"I'm thirsty." Beth says and then looks at Daryl.

Daryl stops to grab a bottle of water from the backpack and give it to her. She takes a sip and passes it to him. He takes another sip and then puts it back in the bag.

"Daryl." Beth says. He just stares at her.

"What if…What if we never see them again? For real." With her head down, the expression on her face is plain and emotionless.

Daryl wasn't expecting such question. He looks down, searching for an appropriate answer.

"We go on." The tone in his voice is strong and reliable.

Beth sets her eyes on his. And by then, she knows. She knows they now have to face the fate they've been given, together. And that thought has never scared her as much as it does now.  
"I don't know… I don't know if I'm…" She stops to think for a few seconds. Her expression changes. "I just lost my father… Now my sister. And everyone else. I just keep losing everyone." A tear starts running from her eye.

"I've never felt this... lonely before." She wipes the tears of her face with her right hand.

Daryl touches her on the left arm.

"I tell ya how ya gonna do it. Ya gonna be strong. And ya gonna survive." Beth looks at him deep in the eyes. Still wiping off more tears that come. "We weren't able to do anything. _Anything_. Now we fight for ourselves. Or you'll be next one to go. Then I'll be the next one to go."

He walks back and forth as he talks. "And ya gonna swallow those tears, and act like the woman y'are now." She is still staring him in the eyes.  
They go silent for a few seconds.  
This has been just as hard for Daryl. He may seem tough on the outside, but losing everyone he cared about, in the way it happened, so fast, got to him. He tries to maintain his hard shell and not break out in tears.

"If… If we don't find 'em. Ever again. We do what we gotta do. We keep going."

Beth takes a breath, and gives him a big hug. Daryl even takes a step behind from the impact.

"I know I might be… a burden or something. But thanks. I don't know how I would've turned out… If it wasn't for you." Daryl isn't much of a hugger, so he feels a bit awkward and doesn't quite know what to do. Still, he softly lays his hand on her back.  
"Probably, a walker." He says. She moves back, and smiles at him.

"C'mon."

They keep on track, and eventually find a road.  
"Should we keep on it?" Beth asks.

"Let's see where this leads to."

Walking down the road, they bump into an abandoned car. It appears to have been just left there, three doors are open. Daryl decides to go check it.

"Stay back." He tells Beth.

He checks the front sit, nothing. On the back seat there's a bunch of garbage, nothing very useful. It stinks terribly. He covers his nose with his arm to avoid the smell.

"It's safe."

Beth then comes closer and takes a second look. Daryl is checking to see if there's still gasoline in the tank. Beth opens up the trunk to find a bunch of dead, rotten small animals. A dog, two cats and squirrels.

"Yup. That's where the smell is coming from." She whispers to herself.

"It has a bit o' gas but, it ain't worth it."

"There are a bunch of dead animals in the trunk." She tells him, still disgusted by the image and the stench. Daryl scratches his chin as he thinks.

"Hm." He says quietly to himself. Then he takes a look around. "Keep your eyes open." Beth doesn't understand what he means, but she takes the advice.

They hear a small horde of walkers coming from the woods.  
"Let's go." He says.

They end up at a fork. They look at each other, waiting for the first one to point the right direction. Beth still struggles with a dilemma. The possibility of finding someone of the group if they pick the right way. But at this point, what would be the right way? Right now, they could be the last ones standing. Days away from the prison's surroundings, the chances of bumping into a known face is getting smaller and smaller.  
Daryl is looking at Beth, knowing she's got something to say. She gets her head straight.

"Doesn't really matter anymore, huh?" She says. "Which way we go."

"Nah." Daryl answers.

Beth takes a deep breath. "I'm feeling right today."

"Right it is."

And right she was. Not far on the road, a little into the forest, they found a cabin. Not too visible, not too shattered. Just perfect to settle down for a few days. Daryl checks the surroundings, just a couple of dead walkers apparently from a long time ago, and nothing else.  
They go inside. It's a rather small cabin. One tiny room that used to be a bathroom, one small bedroom with lots of garbage in it, and a living room with what was once an improvised kitchen. Nothing inside the cabinets but dust, in the drawers some dirty spoons and knives.  
"It's all clear."  
Beth starts putting out the garbage from the bedroom while Daryl keeps checking out the outside for walkers or other people.

"I think it looks good now." Beth is trying to make the best out of the scenario.

She takes the blankets out again and lays them on the floor.

"Feels like home already." She says to herself playfully.

Daryl is now hunting something to eat. He comes back with two squirrels fifteen minutes later.

"Food." He throws the squirrels on the kitchen stand.

"I light the fire."

While Daryl prepares the squirrels, Beth lights the fire just in front of the cabin's door. The weather's gotten a lot colder by now.  
They eat their meal quietly. Enjoying every bit of the meat.  
After they finish, they go inside to rest. It's dark and cold now, and the only source of light comes through some cracks on the roof, some rays of light from the full moon.  
Both put on their jackets and, luckily, it doesn't feel that cold on the inside. Daryl takes back all the trash Beth got out of the bedroom, and places it on the door for some reinforcement. Those were some heavy junk.  
They are both just sitting in the middle of the room.

"We found a good place after all." Beth says.

"Yeah."

Not much to say now, they stop to listen to the noises of the night, some crickets, an animal running in the woods from time to time. It's not like the apocalypse would be all fun and entertainment. And in the middle of all that silence, suddenly, four words warm up the room.

"Ya ain't a burden." Daryl says.

Beth doesn't know what to say. Actually, she feels no need to say a word.  
After so much pain, so much suffering, right there, at that moment, she is happy.  
Their eyes meet in between that zig-zag of light and darkness. And the silence goes on, but now there's a feeling of comfort in the air.  
They feel it's okay.  
Being with each other, surviving, being the last ones remaining.

Maybe not a bad thing after all.


	3. Hard Reality

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Walking Dead'.**

Author Notes:

I'm really really sorry for the delay! I was super busy and not having time to write, but now I'm back!  
Enjoy :) I hope you're not disappointed!

**Chapter 3:** Hard Reality

They are both still asleep. Beth slept on the floor, Daryl stayed awake half of the night on guard, but it was so quiet he eventually fell asleep while sat against the wall. The sun is already up, and the forest animals are all awake.  
Beth starts to wake up very slowly, yawning, stretching. She hadn't felt this relaxed in weeks.

_'Why couldn't everyday be like this?'_ She thinks. Looking out of a tiny crack on this window covered with wooden boards.

Her stomach is growling, and the only eatable thing in the room now is a couple of berries left that Daryl had found a few days ago. She goes to his backpack, to find only two berries. And small ones. She picks one, and leaves the other for Daryl.

_'Better than nothing, anyway.'_ She chews and chews, hoping to get most of its taste, then swallows it, slightly disappointed.

Beth sits next to Daryl, and watches him sleep for a while. She feels kinda creepy, but that feeling soon goes away, as she sees how peaceful he is. In a way she's never seen him before. His head is leaning against the wall, his hands placed on his legs, far from the crossbow, which is pretty unusual. He is always ready for anything, but not now. He allowed himself let the guard down. She looks at his clothes, all ripped and dirty. A bit of dry blood here and there. Then she looks at herself.

_'Even some old rags would be better than this.'_ She thinks while letting out a sigh.

There are some birds singing outside, something Beth hadn't heard in a while. She leans against the wall too, with her head near his, closes her eyes and listens to the birds. And his breathing. Resting in peace never sounded as good as in this moment. It's all so still, that Beth falls asleep again. After a few minutes her head starts tilting in Daryl's direction, and right when her forehead touches his, he wakes up startled and stands up, waking her up as well.

"Beth?!" He says in a high-pitched tone.

"Sorry!" She says delicately.

"What… What are you doin'?!" He looks at her very confused.

"I… I came to check on you and… Fell asleep. Sorry."

"Could ya not do this everyday?"

"I swear I won't." She raises her right hand as in a vow.

Daryl passes his hands on his eyes and forehead, and just walks around in the room. Beth is still sat on the floor.

"I left you a berry. I was really hungry but… There were only two. I figured you'd want one."  
He turns to her but doesn't say anything.

Beth looks down and takes a big breath. Those few seconds of awkward silence feel like an eternity. When she's just about to say something.  
"Um, hey! How ab…"

"I'm gonna take a piss."

Daryl kicks away all the garbage that was in front of the door, and walks out. Beth is left with her mouth still open.

"O-okay..." Her words almost echo in this empty room. She rolls her eyes.

A minute later Daryl returns. Still with a grumpy look.

"So… How about we change these clothes?"  
Daryl squints his eyes at her.

"I mean, look at us. We stink for God's sake. We're covered in blood, dirt, sweat."  
He still doesn't say a word.

"And a hot shower would be really nice too…"

"Lemme call room service for ya." Daryl certainly isn't on the mood for talking. He looks mad.

"What is it with you?" Beth gets a bit angry at him.

"None o' your goddamn business."

Beth is speechless and wide eyed.

"Imma take a walk." He walks out the door again.

_'What just happened?!'_ Beth is confused. _'Was it something I said?'_

She stands up and runs right after him. By the time she takes two steps out, he yells at her.

"Stay inside."  
She obviously doesn't follow his orders and goes after him anyway.

"Daryl, what is it?" He doesn't stop to listen to her, so she keeps following him.

"Is it something I said?! I… I'm sorry for waking you up like that… Again. I promise it won't happen anymore."  
Still nothing from him.

"And I won't eat your berries without asking too."

"Shut up!" He stops and turns around.

"I… I'm sorry… I…"

"Stop saying ya sorry. Just stop."  
Beth is desolated.

"It's nothing to do with ya." Daryl says, irritated.

They remain there, among the trees, silent and confused.

"Talk to me, please." Beth insists.

He doesn't say a word. She stares at him, waiting for him to say something, anything.

"It's cold. We'd better get back."

Daryl walks past by her, going back to the cabin. Beth is soundless, numb, even more confused. She turns around and goes after him.

Once they're in, Daryl goes to the back of the room and leans his hand on the wall.  
Beth is still confused whether she should say something or not. Until Daryl finally speaks.

"I was having a dream."

Beth is by the door.

"I was having a dream when you woke me up."

Beth hesitates, she is very surprised, but she asks anyway.  
"What was it about?"

"The prison."  
Beth comes closer to him while he speaks.

"It all came down too fast. Everyone was dead. Rick, Michonne… you."  
Beth is listening carefully to what he's saying.

"There was nothin' I could do." He takes his hand off the wall and goes to the other side of the room.

Beth turns around to look at him.

"You and your apologies… I don't care 'bout a goddamn berry. Or 'bout how I smell."  
She understands now.

"I couldn't do anything. I just ran, like a fuckin' coward."  
Beth comes to him, takes his hand and holds it tight.

"Daryl."

"I couldn't. I can't. People were... relyin' on me. And it ain't a dream. I just… ran."

Beth is holding his hand. She feels what he feels. She knows the pain it brought to his heart. Leaving the prison, leaving everyone behind. This is it, this is his hard shell finally breaking.

"It ain't… It's true. They must all be dead now. And it's on me." He's trying to hold his tears.

"Daryl. I am here. You ran with me. You saved me. This… This is true. Just like you told me before. We go on, right? We can't undo what is done. We just… Keep going." There's a smile in her face, hidden behind all that sadness. "I had a dream too. We were still together, in a calm place… Sitting on a porch, just… Enjoying sunrise."

Birds are still singing outside, this time even louder.

"I know it's crazy. But… It really helped. What you said to me, and… This dream, it helped me see things how they are now."

She takes his other hand.

"I am here. And you're here. We're in this together. And the days to come… Let them come."

Daryl is very thoughtful at this moment.

"I suffered enough. And you too. You shouldn't blame yourself like that. It wasn't your fault."

"You don't understand." He pulls his hands off of hers impatiently.

"Yea. I don't. But we only got each other now. We can do our best, for each other."

He goes comes really close to her.  
"You don't know… You know nothing." He says almost glued to her face, in a mixed feeling of anger and sorrow.

Beth raises both her hands and touches his face. Their eyes are concentrated on each other.

"I know I'm here. For us. And I know, I'll do my best to not let you down. And I know, you can do even better. Now you stop being this jackass, and get your head straight. This isn't a dream anymore. We're gonna be fine."  
Daryl answers nothing. But Beth knows he understood everything she said.  
"I can't believe I need to tell you these things, you're the badass here." She smiles.

He moves away from her.

"Now… We really gotta do something."

"What?"

"Find new clothes, immediately. I can't stand your smell anymore."

"Oh shut up."


	4. No Way Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Walking Dead'.**

**Chapter 4: **No Way Back

Daryl is back on track, and now it's time for the daily shores. He and Beth grab a bag, a couple of supplies and go out to look for water and some food.

It gets colder and colder as time goes by. Luckily, they were able to find a good wellspring within just a mile from the cabin, and filled all of their bottles. Daryl got three squirrels, and Beth got another one, with a little help from him.

"We should get back before sun's gone." Daryl says, looking at the sky.

"Okay."

On the way back, they gathered enough wood to make a bonfire.

They go inside. Daryl sets the squirrels on the kitchen stand again.

"Can you light the fire?"

"Sure!" Beth takes the wood and gets the fire going.

"Done." She comes back to tell him.

"Clean these squirrels like I taught ya, I need to do somethin'."

"Umm, okay…?" Beth takes on the squirrels.

Daryl takes this metal pot he found within that pile of trash and cleans it with a rag. He then takes one bottle of water, the pot and goes to the bonfire.  
By the time Beth is finished cleaning the second squirrel, Daryl comes back with this steaming hot water.

"Here." He puts it on the stand in front of Beth.

She looks at the pot, then at him. He doesn't say anything. So she asks.

"We're creating new recipes today?"

"Your shower."

Beth smiles unconsciously. She looks at him, as it if were the best gift she'd received in a lifetime.

"Go before's too cold."

She just nods and runs to the bathroom. It's got just enough room for one person to fit in, and has just one tiny window close to the ceiling with a very small opening. She takes off her clothes and leaves them on top of the toilet. She pours the hot water over her naked body, making every drop count. She feels safe, and warm, and at home.

After bathing, she opens the door a little bit and calls Daryl, who was now cleaning his knives and arrows.

"Can you… bring me a blanket? I forgot."

Daryl takes one off the pile and gets it to her, with his head turned in the opposite direction.

"Thanks." She rolls herself up with the blanket and gets out of the bathroom.

"Umm, can you turn around?"

He faces the kitchen as she puts on the last change of clothes she had, not clean, just a little less dirty. A yellow blouse and a worn out jeans.

"Okay, I'm done."

He goes back to the kitchen to get the squirrels.

"Thank you." Beth says smiling, while they eat. Daryl doesn't answer.

"You should go too, we still have a few minutes before the sun's gone."

"I'm fine." He says before taking a bite.

"I heat up the water for you." Before he can say anything, she runs to the bathroom to get the pot and fill it with water from another bottle.  
She returns to the fire, and holds the pot over it.

"I don't need that."

"You do." She says in a serious tone.

A couple of minutes later and the water was boiling.  
"Here, your turn."

He takes the pot without saying anything and goes inside. Beth stays by the fire, warming up.

About ten minutes later Daryl returns, looking fresh and clean.

"Wow, who are you?" She says.

"Hm."

"You smell that?"

"No."

"Exactly. Nothing. We don't smell anymore."

Daryl laughs timidly.

"Daryl. I mean it. Thank you."

"Let's go inside."

When they're just about to go, Daryl stops and looks at the sky.

"You hear that?"

"Okay, now I don't get the joke."

"It ain't no joke. Look." He points at a flock of birds flying away fast on top of the trees.

"Somethin startled 'em... C'mon."

The night has finally come. They roll themselves up in blankets to escape the cold, and sit each against a wall, facing each other. The cabin would be almost completely dark, if it wasn't for the moonlight.

Beth starts to sing, to repel the boredom. At first, kinda shy and reluctant.

_"Morning, bathtub, my skin soft and hot…"_

Daryl looks at her, he's not so much of an audience, but the way the world is now, someone sings, you let them sing. Maybe it really wards off the bad spirits.

Then she lets it all out.  
_"I was sure you were right, but you're not…"_

He realizes her voice is actually very beautiful, and the silence of the night makes her resonate inside the cabin. And it all sounds angelic.

_"I hide from phone calls, under the warm water, malice desist, no it woefully recurs… And it plays like daytime TV shows, I confuse you…"_  
_"I tell you not to love me, but I still…"_

She suddenly stops and breathes deeply.

"Why d'ya stop?" Daryl asks.

She looks at him, but takes a few seconds to answer. She felt this song was appropriate to the situation. Maybe too well. She knows what comes next in the lyrics, but doesn't want to say it. This weird feeling takes over her.

"I'm sorry… I… I forgot the lyrics."

"Hm. I like it."

She smiles. They go silent for a couple of minutes.

"Hey, umm…" She smiles timidly. "What you did for me today, I know I can't stop talking about it, but… Thanks again."

"I told ya, it was nothin'."

"Yea… You know it wasn't." She stands up and goes closer to him. Then she sits against the wall on his left.

"I was watching you sleep last night."

"You creep." He says while squinting his eyes at her. She doesn't care about the insult and smiles.

"You looked so peaceful, you know? Even though you said, you were having this bad dream. That's why I fell asleep. Your presence… It's so… comforting."

She starts moving her hand, like if she was just about to do something, but then gives up. Daryl notices it. He doesn't know exactly what she meant with all of that, but in a way, he also felt comforted by her, and her singing. He isn't a man of many words, he doesn't know how to say anything like the way she does, so he finds a way to express that in gestures.

He takes her hand.

Beth is stunned. Her heart immediately starts pounding, her cheeks blush and this warmth grows inside of her from head to toes.

'Does he… Does he feel the same?' She thinks.

She turns her head away from him, so that he doesn't see her blushing.

_'What do you mean, Beth? What is it that you feel?!'_

She is so embarrassed she doesn't even look at him. But she holds his hand tight. It's rough, and strong. She likes the touch of it.

Daryl also feels the difference of her skin. Smooth and soft, untouched. He thinks for a second how different their lives were. The hell he used to live in, while she was in paradise. But how alike they are now.

Suddenly, they hear a clicking noise outside. Daryl lets go of her hand to get his crossbow.

"Stay here." He tells her.

_'Always.'_ She thinks.

He opens the door and goes out to check. Apparently no walker around. He steps on the grass smoothly, as quiet as possible. He prepares the crossbow.

Beth closes her hand, and takes a big breath. '_What have you gotten yourself into Beth? He doesn't see you that way...'  
_  
The noise continues. Daryl carefully checks the surroundings of the cabin. Nothing. But he still feels something isn't right.

He goes around it again, a little further into the woods this time. The clicking seems to have stopped, and it's all quiet again. He turns around to go back.

That's when he hears a scream.  
It's Beth.

"Goddammit!" He says to himself, now running towards the cabin.

He was only about three hundred feet away, but it seemed like the biggest distance he'd ever had to run.

_'I'm comin'. It's okay. I'm comin' for ya. Hang in there.'_ It's the only thing he could think of in that moment.

He gets close to the cabin, sees the door wide open and runs inside.

"Beth!" He runs in yelling.

But there was a man waiting for him by the door, that grabs him right after he enters.  
He holds a knife to Daryl's neck.

"Drop your weapon." The man says.

Daryl sees Beth being held by another man, who points a gun to her head. Both seem to be on their mid-30's or 40's. The one with Beth is fat and wears a green cap.

"Drop it, or he'll shoot."

Daryl resists and tries to defend himself, but the man pushes his knife even closer to his neck, making a slight cut.

"Daryl!" She yells. But the man holding her hits her in the head with the handle of the gun.

"Shut your fuckin' mouth, bitch!"

It makes Daryl even more pissed, and Beth starts crying.

"Wanna get her killed?! It's the same thang to us, alive OR dead." Both of them share a laugh. "Drop the fuckin' weapon!"

Daryl's nerves are about to explode. He throws the crossbow on the floor.

"There ya go… there ya go… Good boy."

Beth is looking at him, sobbing.

Trying to keep calm, he looks deep into her gloomy eyes, as a way to tell her it's going to be okay.

"Now. Ya gonna stay right here with me, while my brother and your... 'friend' have some fun."

The more Daryl moves, more he craves the knife into his neck.

"One sudden move, you and your girl are dead. Ya hear me?"

Daryl doesn't say a word.

"Imma get that as a yes. Go on, Mikey." He says to his brother, the one holding Beth.

"C'mon 'ere sweetie. Ya havin' a good time with Mikey tonight." He says while holding Beth and tying a piece of cloth around her mouth. She fights, but Mikey is much stronger than her.

"Leave 'er alone!" Daryl yells desperately. But his struggle is useless.

Mikey throws Beth to the ground, sits on top of her and ties her hands with another piece of cloth. Then he points the gun to her head again.

"One move, one fuckin' word, and she's dead. Got it?" Mikey says looking at Daryl.

Daryl starts to lose his mind. The scene, the situation messes with his head.

Beth is on the floor. Mikey is now holding a gun to her head, and opening his pants with the other.

Daryl is breathing heavily, and his eyes are wide open. He feels numb. Unable to save her. Unable to look. Unable to look away.

Beth screams nonstop through the cloth, her face is red and her eyes are swollen. She struggles, but it is useless against all that weight.

Daryl has to think fast. He has to stop this before something happens.

_'I can't let it happen to her. I can't. Think, dammit, think!'  
_  
He has to act fast, but carefully. One wrong move, his throat is slit and Beth gets shot.  
_'I have to risk it, ain't no other way.'_

The adrenaline takes over his entire body. His vision is blurry. He looks at his crossbow. Triggered. He has a plan.

"Don't pretend ya don't enjoy it, I know you do." Mikey tells Beth, while lifting up her shirt and laughing maliciously. Daryl is watching closely.

In the one second he tilts his gun to the wall, Daryl hits the back of his head on the man holding him, with all the anger he had, making him fall behind. He then quickly grabs his crossbow off the floor, shoots Mikey in the head, turns around, jumps over the other man who was already aiming to stab him, and sticks an arrow into his right eye.

It all happened within seconds. Daryl is still on top of him, holding the arrow, looking at his face. He hadn't seen his face yet. He's glad to ruin it.

He stays there for a few a seconds more. His head is spinning, his blood cells are running a marathon inside his veins. He takes a big breath, and it all becomes real again. He listens to Beth's groaning.

Daryl gets up and goes straight to Beth. Mikey's body is fallen over her. He moves it to the side and starts untying the cloth of her mouth. She doesn't say anything. Then her hands. After the last knot, she immediately jumps on him, holding him tight. She is still crying and shaking.

He holds her back.

"I gotcha. It's okay. You're fine… You're fine."

She is sobbing over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't let anyone… You're safe. We're safe now."

"D… D… Don't… Don't… let me…Don't let go."

"I won't Beth I won't. I'm here."

He holds her tight for almost an hour, until she stops crying. They are both sweaty, Beth got blood on her hair. Daryl's neck bled onto his shirt. They look at each other, but neither know what to say. They're just glad to be okay.

Beth looks around. She stares at Mikey's corpse with disgust, and quickly looks away.

"We should… clean this mess." She says quietly.

Daryl checks the gun on the floor. No ammo.  
_'I should've known. Bastards.'_

They take out the corpses, but leave them nearby.

"It's too dark. We take 'em away tomorrow mornin'." Daryl says. Beth nods.

They go back inside, where it's all still bloody, including themselves.

"So much for that shower." Beth says, crestfallen.

"We still got that one big bottle. Let's clean up."

Daryl rips the tip of his shirt and pours water into it. He cleans Beth's face, and then her hair.

She can feel his rough hands against her skin again. It feels good, and she's not afraid to show it. Almost unconditionally, she closes her eyes each time he touches her hair.

"Now I need to see your neck, patch it up."

"It ain't that bad."

"I need to see it anyway."

She sees two cuts, they really aren't deep, but can cause an infection. She grabs the alcohol and tears a bit of her own blouse. cleans the wound and covers it with the rag. It stings, but Daryl doesn't fuss about it.

They move to a spot by the kitchen, that has no blood on the floor, and sit there, against the stand. Beth folds one of the blankets to make a pillow, and lies on the floor.

"Daryl."

"What?"

"Come… stay with me. Please."

He isn't reluctant at all. He knows how she feels right now. After what she went through. What they went through. She needs to feel safe.  
He lies beside her, and holds her.

She tries not to think about earlier, but that won't happen very soon. She starts crying again.

"It's okay. I'm here."

"I know… I… Thank you."

"It's okay."

She turns to him. They now face each other. She touches his cheek gently. Their hearts are pounding so strong, they're almost palpable.

_'I tell you not to love me, but I still kiss you...'_ She sings. As she sings, the crying stops.

"Wha…"

Before he can finish the sentence, she kisses his lips. Lightly, soft. Hers are kinda shaking with nervousness. It's a brief, gentle kiss. Then she pulls away.

Their eyes meet. They don't say a word.

She nestles into his arms, closes her eyes, and sleeps.

Daryl has to stay awake on guard, but he sees how calm she is, even after all that's happened. And he understands. He feels the same.

He kisses her forehead, and joins her.


End file.
